Further Reading

While Microsoft has demonstrated early versions of the Xbox One user interface and base operating system in the past, previous demos have been carefully choreographed affairs operated completely by company representatives. So I was very excited to get my first actual hands-on (and voice-on) test of the Xbox One's underlying platform at a Microsoft-hosted event last week (even if it was partially guided by two Xbox representatives who sometimes took control or suggested what I should try).

While an hour is hardly enough time to get a comprehensive feel for all of the console's system-level controls and features, I came away from the demo surprisingly enthusiastic about the multitasking and voice control features that I had come in rather pessimistic about.

Voice is the new controller

The most notable thing about my hour-or-so hands-on demo was how little I actually used a handheld controller. Practically every feature described in this piece was activated by saying "Xbox" followed by a simple command. Yes, a similar feature is already available to anyone with a current-generation Kinect hooked up to their Xbox 360, but it's clear that voice controls are much more fully integrated into the Xbox One interface.

On the Xbox 360, you are generally limited to giving voice commands that correspond to menu options you see on the screen—"If you can see it, say it," as Microsoft marketing puts it. On the Xbox One, there's no such limitation to what you can do with your voice. If I want to load up Internet Explorer, I can say, "Xbox, go to Internet Explorer" from anywhere on the system menu and bring up the Web browser.

Not only that, but voice controls are now a system-level process that runs in the background while you're using an app or game. You can call out, "Xbox, snap friends" while playing a game to bring up your friends list on the side of the screen, without even pausing. Then there are the handy app-specific shortcuts activated by voice commands. "Xbox, watch Comedy Central" let me jump straight to watching the channel even from another app, for instance.

The idea of never having to use a controller to search through menus and sub-screens to find my apps and games seemed pretty appealing after just a few minutes of talking my way through a variety of Xbox One functions. There is a slight, noticeable voice recognition pause of roughly half a second after saying each command, but it didn't seem to get in the way much during the demo (and it seemed shorter than the similar pause on the Xbox 360, in any case).

Accuracy and recognition weren't significant issues, either. In the hour I spent with the Xbox One, I only counted two times where someone had to repeat themselves because the system didn't hear a command, and there were no instances of the system misinterpreting what was said. In fact, the Kinect was sensitive enough that Engineering Manager Jeff Henshaw had to whisper instructions to me ("Try saying [*whisper*] 'Xbox, go home'") so the system wouldn't accidentally pick up his words. It remains to be seen, of course, if this performance can hold up in a noisy living room and not the idealized, faux living room that Microsoft set up.

Skeleton detection and automatic login

Aside from voice, the most significant system-level feature enabled by the Kinect is the ability of the Xbox One to log a user in automatically based only on their visuals. The first time you set up the system, it takes you through a 30-second process where you log in to your Microsoft account. Kinect then builds a personal profile it will associate with that account based on facial recognition but also the camera's basic skeletal model of your body. This process forms a unique biometric ID that the Kinect uses to automatically identify a user, logging them in to Xbox Live and bringing up a personalized menu that includes their recent apps and favorite items.

The login process was practically instantaneous in our demo; Henshaw simply stepped in front of the Kinect and was immediately greeted with a "Hello, Jeff" atop the system menu. This recognition worked even though Henshaw was standing to the side and not directly facing the Kinect sensor. Henshaw said the skeletal and facial data Kinect uses to identify someone is "like fingerprints—no two are exactly alike" and that the system is even sensitive enough to notice minor variations between twins.

Privacy options

The idea of the Kinect constantly tracking your position around the room and identifying you based on your biometrics and vocal commands may be creepy to some, but the system allows users to set a number of privacy controls. You can turn off the biometric ID system completely if you don't plan on using it, but you can also have the system require a password entry even after it recognizes you. Additionally, the Kinect can be set to totally ignore voice and/or gestural commands. If you're really paranoid, it can be completely unplugged from the system and put away without affecting functionality.

One of the coolest moments of the demo combined the Kinect's voice controls and this personal recognition capability, letting PR Manager Jose Pinero take over control of the system instantly without a controller. Pinero simply said, "Xbox, show my stuff," and the system quickly popped up a "Hello, Jose" message, repopulating the menu with his recent activity and pinned favorites. Pinero pointed out that the data for this personalized menu was stored in the cloud, so it could be brought up on any Xbox One. (Personal biometric data, on the other hand, is never uploaded on the cloud. Pinero would have to set up recognition on any new system he wanted to use).

The Kinect didn't identify Jose by his voiceprint, but it instead recognized where in the room his command was coming from, triangulating the location using an internal array of five microphones (Henshaw said this process is "within five-inch accuracy"). The system then looked at the figure it detected in that location, recognized it was Jose, and automated the login process for him. It was an impressive, friction-free moment that I can see being used a lot in multi-user households (and abused a lot in households with annoying little brothers).

178 Reader Comments

How well did the non-voice controls work? MS has so far had issues with my accent, and I'd be surprised if we get Norwegian voice recognition - so I'm more interested in how well that Win8-like interface works with a gamepad.

If you use the Xbox as the family entertainment center, what is the deal with the Xbox live subscription? Do every family member need a Gold account to access Netflix for example?

If my 6 years old log in, will the material / content be the appropriate one for her age?

I understand the value of the Gold subscription If I like to play games connected to a community. But if you are not a gamer that needs to connect to the gamers community, does it still makes sense to buy the xbox, or better go with a PS4 that let's you connect free to Netflix, Amazon....?

If you use the Xbox as the family entertainment center, what is the deal with the Xbox live subscription? Do every family member need a Gold account to access Netflix for example?

If my 6 years old log in, will the material / content be the appropriate one for her age?

I understand the value of the Gold subscription If I like to play games connected to a community. But if you are not a gamer that needs to connect to the gamers community, does it still makes sense to buy the xbox, or better go with a PS4 that let's you connect free to Netflix, Amazon....?

I don't own a console, but from my understanding PS4 is going to start charging for online services as welll. I could be totally wrong on this, but from what I've read online (grain of salt), the new PS4 is going to require an online subscription.

If you use the Xbox as the family entertainment center, what is the deal with the Xbox live subscription? Do every family member need a Gold account to access Netflix for example?

If my 6 years old log in, will the material / content be the appropriate one for her age?

I understand the value of the Gold subscription If I like to play games connected to a community. But if you are not a gamer that needs to connect to the gamers community, does it still makes sense to buy the xbox, or better go with a PS4 that let's you connect free to Netflix, Amazon....?

If you use the Xbox as the family entertainment center, what is the deal with the Xbox live subscription? Do every family member need a Gold account to access Netflix for example?

If my 6 years old log in, will the material / content be the appropriate one for her age?

I understand the value of the Gold subscription If I like to play games connected to a community. But if you are not a gamer that needs to connect to the gamers community, does it still makes sense to buy the xbox, or better go with a PS4 that let's you connect free to Netflix, Amazon....?

I don't own a console, but from my understanding PS4 is going to start charging for online services as welll. I could be totally wrong on this, but from what I've read online (grain of salt), the new PS4 is going to require an online subscription.

The PS4 doesn't require a PS+ subscription to watch netflix and hulu etc. Even some F2P games like Planetside 2 don't require PS+. I would suggest PS4 because even with PS+ you get free games, (I haven't bought a game in a long time on my ps3 because of it).

How well did the non-voice controls work? MS has so far had issues with my accent, and I'd be surprised if we get Norwegian voice recognition - so I'm more interested in how well that Win8-like interface works with a gamepad.

They worked fine... Very similar to puttering around on the 360 with a controller.

If you use the Xbox as the family entertainment center, what is the deal with the Xbox live subscription? Do every family member need a Gold account to access Netflix for example?

If my 6 years old log in, will the material / content be the appropriate one for her age?

I understand the value of the Gold subscription If I like to play games connected to a community. But if you are not a gamer that needs to connect to the gamers community, does it still makes sense to buy the xbox, or better go with a PS4 that let's you connect free to Netflix, Amazon....?

I don't own a console, but from my understanding PS4 is going to start charging for online services as welll. I could be totally wrong on this, but from what I've read online (grain of salt), the new PS4 is going to require an online subscription.

The PS4 doesn't require a PS+ subscription to watch netflix and hulu etc. Even some F2P games like Planetside 2 don't require PS+. I would suggest PS4 because even with PS+ you get free games, (I haven't bought a game in a long time on my ps3 because of it).

Edited for clarity... I need some tea

Is that for sure? Not trying to call you out or anything! Any source for it?

If you use the Xbox as the family entertainment center, what is the deal with the Xbox live subscription? Do every family member need a Gold account to access Netflix for example?

If my 6 years old log in, will the material / content be the appropriate one for her age?

I understand the value of the Gold subscription If I like to play games connected to a community. But if you are not a gamer that needs to connect to the gamers community, does it still makes sense to buy the xbox, or better go with a PS4 that let's you connect free to Netflix, Amazon....?

The Gold sub is needed for Netflix on the 360, I assume that will be the same on the One. And Netflix and the 360 does have a kid-only mode.

If you use the Xbox as the family entertainment center, what is the deal with the Xbox live subscription? Do every family member need a Gold account to access Netflix for example?

If my 6 years old log in, will the material / content be the appropriate one for her age?

I understand the value of the Gold subscription If I like to play games connected to a community. But if you are not a gamer that needs to connect to the gamers community, does it still makes sense to buy the xbox, or better go with a PS4 that let's you connect free to Netflix, Amazon....?

I don't own a console, but from my understanding PS4 is going to start charging for online services as welll. I could be totally wrong on this, but from what I've read online (grain of salt), the new PS4 is going to require an online subscription.

The PS4 doesn't require a PS+ subscription to watch netflix and hulu etc. Even some F2P games like Planetside 2 don't require PS+. I would suggest PS4 because even with PS+ you get free games, (I haven't bought a game in a long time on my ps3 because of it).

Edited for clarity... I need some tea

Is that for sure? Not trying to call you out or anything! Any source for it?

It's all in there. Look at the PS+ part and what's free for those without it for more details. You can also create an account for a kid and use parental controls to block what games, movies can be played by them.

I know it's unlikely, but were you able to have the voice commands tested by someone with a non-US accent? My accent is fairly neutral (certainly not a broad 'Strine, Bogan, or Ocker accent, anyway), but I know enough people who had to put on a Californian accent to get Siri to work that I have my doubts about any new voice-based technology.

After watching the video I am not that impressed, there was some noticeable lag between the kinect input and action. It also doesn't address what if you don't want to get notification pop ups sometime.

If you are getting notifications so much I can see how for me it would get very distracting and annoying.

Also I would like to see how this console works without a xbox live gold subscription.

How well did the non-voice controls work? MS has so far had issues with my accent, and I'd be surprised if we get Norwegian voice recognition - so I'm more interested in how well that Win8-like interface works with a gamepad.

Don't worry: none of the really nice services will work outside the US anyway so you're not going to miss much.

How well did the non-voice controls work? MS has so far had issues with my accent, and I'd be surprised if we get Norwegian voice recognition - so I'm more interested in how well that Win8-like interface works with a gamepad.

Thanks to this post, I now have a mental image of the Swedish Chef trying to use the Xbox One, and can't stop laughing. So thanks for brightening my morning!

After watching the video I am not that impressed, there was some noticeable lag between the kinect input and action. It also doesn't address what if you don't want to get notification pop ups sometime.

If you are getting notifications so much I can see how for me it would get very distracting and annoying.

Also I would like to see how this console works without a xbox live gold subscription.

I was also watching for the delay, and it didn't seem bad. Maybe 1 to 5 seconds switching between applications. Think about how long it takes now to switch from, say, a game to Netflix, or from Netflix to Amazon Video. For my PS3, it's anywhere from 30 to 45 seconds. So switching in 1 or 2 seconds (and having a voice option) is really, really nice.

I'm sure notifications can be turned off. I'd be really surprised (and annoyed) if they didn't offer that feature.

Wow, that looks incredibly clean. But I wonder how long before they drown it with Ads just like they did with the Xbox360's interface.

Did the ads really bother people that much? My sister has an xbox and I didn't even notice the ads until my nephew pointed them out.

Yes, they did. I fucking hate my 360 dashboard these days because of the ads.

Me too. Doesn't look like they even tried to fix that. It's like if all of Ars's content was in the right hand side where the banner ads are now and ads just covered the entire middle. The balance between ads and not ads is horribly skewed IMO. Now since I don't have Live Gold anyways so I can't use any the apps I just autoboot straight to disc. Hopefully Xbox One will still have that.

I know it's unlikely, but were you able to have the voice commands tested by someone with a non-US accent? My accent is fairly neutral (certainly not a broad 'Strine, Bogan, or Ocker accent, anyway), but I know enough people who had to put on a Californian accent to get Siri to work that I have my doubts about any new voice-based technology.

Actually, Pinero's accent was quite thick, and it still recognized him just fine.

Kyle Orland / Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in Pittsburgh, PA.